The PGA Tour's showpiece tournament has attracted 49 of the world's top 50 players to Sawgrass this week, the sole exception being world number one Tiger Woods due to a knee injury.

But Westwood does not agree with the logic that places the Players Championship as the biggest outside the traditional four majors, insisting he also ranks it below the three annual World Golf Championship events.

"I think the World Golf Championships have drawn something away from the size of the Players Championship," said the 35-year-old Englishman.

"They used to say this was one of the strongest fields of the year, but probably not now.

"Given a choice, I'd rather win a World Golf Championships event but that's just me, because of the title, I suppose."

Westwood observed that while the world's top 50 players are exempt for the Players Championship, some very good Europeans are shut out.

"We could have a European who finished 51st in the world and eighth on the Order of Merit and wouldn't be in the field this week, so you could argue that the World Golf Championships events are stronger now," he added.